Electric lock.



G. LEGRAND & A. ARMEL.

- ELECTRIC LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 26,1911.

1 ,O52,488, Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

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COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH C0,,WASHENGTON, D. C-

CHARLES LEGRAND AND ALEXANDRE ARMEL, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

ELECTRIC LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 26, 1911.

Patented Feb. 11,1913.

Serial No. 640,570.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES LEGRAND and ALEXANDRE ARMEL, both citizens of the Republic of France, residing in Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Electric Locks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically operated locks, particularly suitable for looking the doors of railway carriages, tramcars, and the like, said apparatus being controlled from a distance by the sending of an electric current, and serving to keep the door closed so long as an electric current is passing through the electromagnet comprised by the apparatus.

The characteristic of the lock forming the subject of this invention is that it comprises a special arrangement which only allows the lock of a door to be locked when this door is closed. It often happens that a railway carriage door is still open when the train starts. Now it is necessary to provide that such a door can still be closed. This is permitted by the improved arrangement which forms the subject of the present invention, even if the employee charged with the operation of the switch or controlling device for sending the current, has already sent the current into the system to which the lock is connected, because this look is not affected by the electric current until the door has been closed.

The improved lock of the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the interior of the lock, showing the position occupied when the current is not passing in the electromagnet, the door being open, so that the bolt of the lock and that of the auxiliary switch hereinafter described are not in action. Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing the auxiliary switch in this -position. Fig. 3 is an under plan of the lock, showing the relative positions of the main bolt and of the auxiliary bolt. Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1, showing the position when the current is passing in the electromagnet, the door being closed and the main bolt locked by the bell crank stop lever. Fig. 5 is a side elevation showing the auxiliary bolt in this position. Fig. 6 shows a modification vof a detail of Fig. 2.

bolt 2, the rod 3 of which is fitted with a spring 4 bearing against a part 5. One arm of a bell crank lever 6 is adapted in one position to come against the end of the rod 3 of the bolt 2, the bell crank lever being pivoted at 7 and having its other arm pivotally connected to a rod 8 fixed to the soft iron core of an electromagnet 9. A stop 10 limits the rise of the bell crank lever 6 when the current is sent into the electromagnet 9 of the look. In this position the end of the short arm of the bell crank lever 6 comes above the top of the rod 3 of the bolt, and serves as a stop to prevent this bolt from rising. When the current ceases to be sent into the electromagnet 9, the core of the magnet drops by its own weight, the bell crank lever 6 moves away from 3 and the bolt 2,can be lifted.

It will be understood that with the arrangement just described, the bolt 2 would be locked, and could not allow the door to be closed if the door was not closed before the current entered the electromagnet 9. This drawback is avoided by providing that the current shall pass to the electromagnet 9 not directly but through the medium of an auxiliary switch which closes the circuit automatically only when the door is closed, while the current is cut ofi if the door is not completely closed. This device comprises a square bolt 11 having only one bevel and fixed to a round rod or stem 12, the upper end of which is tapered or rounded as at 13; this square bolt is fixed on the stem 12 by means of the screw 14 and can be turned in any direction of closing, according to circumstances, whether the door is hinged or sliding. The upper end of the rod 12 works in an angle piece 15 and a coiled spring 16, fitted between this angle piece and the top of the bolt, tends to depress the bolt when this is not lifted by external means, for example, by a keeper 17, which is the case when the door is properly closed.

Opposite the rounded end 13 is a spring contact 18, secured by one of the screws forming one of the supply terminals for the current. Or (see Fig. 6) the rod 13 penetrates between two blades 18 of which the ends are bent out. The other supply terminal for the current is connected by the conductor 19 to the beginning of the wind ing of the electromagnet 9, the wire by which the current leaves the magnet being connected to the mass of the lock; the two 9. lVhen the employee charged with the operation of the controlling switch or switches sends the current into the conductors 21, 22, the circuit is closed between 18, 13, the mass of the lock and the electromagnet 9; the soft iron core is then attracted, and the bell crank lever 6 pivots into position to act as a stop to the bolt 2. If, however, the door has remained open, the bolt 11 will not have been raised, but is kept depressed by its coiled spring 16, so that the upper end 13 of the rod 12 is away from the contact 18, the current through the electromagnet is ifn'terrupted, and the locking bolt 2 remains ree.

It will be seen from the plan, Fig. 3, that the axis or end of the bolt 2 and that of the bolt ll-are not in alinement, the axial dis placement of these two bolts being such that the bolt 2 comes against the keeper 17 and rises before the bolt 11 has commenced to rise. The result is that the upper end of the stem of the raised bolt 2 forms an obstacle which would prevent turning of the bell crank lever 6 under the action of a v current which might be sent into the electromagnet 9; this would happen if the bolt 11 had already been raised by the keeper,

since this would have made the contact between 13 and 18, thus closing the circuit. It is for this reason that the bolt 11 should not be raised until after the bolt 2, which can then operate completely and go properly home into the keeper. For this reason therefore the two bolts 2 and 11 are axially displaced as described.

The current for operating the lock may .be supplied by any source of electricity, for

example by primary batteries or accumulators arranged in the luggage vans or guards brakes at the head or tail of the train. The rotation of the axles of the vans or brakes might also be utilized for driving a dynamo which would supply throughout the travel of the train the electricity necessary for the action of the electromagnets of the locks. This method of'producing electricity would have the advantage that when the train stops atvstatio-ns or on the track,

the doors would be automatically unlocked .without requirement for any operation on the partfof one of thestaif of the train.

were supplied only by a dynamo driven by the train itself, there would on starting the train, be no current for acting through the electromagnets on the bell crank stop levers for the bolts of the locks, and consequently the doors could be in the unlocked condition. It is easy to remedy this by having in one or more vans or vehicles a permanent source of electricity, primary batteries or accumulators arranged to be put into action on the starting of the train, by the person in charge operating the switch at his disposal; then when the dynamo driven by the axles is su plying a current of sufli cient strength, tl fe current from the dynamo will be arranged to cut out the switch or switch off the battery or accumulator circuit and will flow through the electromagnets of the looks. The battery or accumulator current will therefore only serve on the starting of the train.

Claims:

1. A lock for doors, comprising a springpressed bolt adapted to automatically yield and spring back into locking position upon closing of the door, electromagnetically operated means for locking said bolt in locking position, and a door actuated contactdevice in circuit with said electromagnetically operated bolt-locking means for controlling the operation of said means, said contact-device being located relatively rearward of said bolt in the direction of the closing movement of the door, whereby said electromagnetica lly operated bolt-locking means remains moperative until after the lloocking movement of said spring-pressed olt.

2. A lock for doors, comprising a springpressed bolt adapted to automatically yield and spring back into locking position upon' closing of the door, electromagnetically operated means for locking said bolt in locking position, and a spring-pressed contactdevice in circuit with said electromagnetically operated bolt-locking means for controlling the operation of said bolt-locking means, said contact-device being adapted to be closed by the closing of the door, whereby said electromagnetically operated means remains inoperative until theclosing of the door.

I 3. A lock for doors, comprising a springpressed bolt adapted to automatically yield and spring back into locking position upon closing of the door, a detent for locking said bolt in locking position, an electromagnet controlling said detent, and a springpressed contact device in circuit with said electromagnet for controlling the operation of said electromagnet, said contact device being adapted to be closed by the closing of the door, whereby said electromagnet, and

v v I the detent controlled thereby remain inop- If thecurrent for the electromagnets' 'erative until the closing of the door.

4. A lock for doors, comprising a springpressed beveled bolt adapted to automatically yield and spring back into locking position upon closing of the door, electromagnetically operated means for locking said bolt in looking position, and a door actuated spring-pressed beveled contact device in circuit with said electromagnetically operated bolt-locking means for controlling the operation of said means, the apex of the bevel of said contact device being located relatively rearward of the apex of the bevel of said bolt in the direction of the closing movement of the door, whereby said electromagnetically operated bolt-locking means remains inoperative until after the locking movement of said spring-pressed bolt.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES LEGRAND. ALEXANDRE ARMEL.

Witnesses:

' H. O. Come,

RENE BARDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

